August 2005 Anticrastination Tip Sheet
What's the opposite of Procrastination?
THE ANTICRASTINATION TIP SHEET
From Rita Emmett
Author of THE PROCRASTINATOR'S HANDBOOK
& THE PROCRASTINATING CHILD
& THE CLUTTER-BUSTING HANDBOOK
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Quote for August
Success is having what you want, happiness is
wanting what you have.
--- anonymous
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Catching You Up
Our 4-part "Vaporize Your Clutter" classes by
phone are almost over and everyone seems to like this method of
learning. Plus we're hearing reports that these teleseminars are
extremely helpful in getting rid of clutter. I've been asked if we'll
run these sessions again. We have no plans right now, but there has been
an amazing possibility pop up.
In spite of the fact that everyone in our house seems to have graduated
from "Clueless Tech", we have had an awesome breakthrough in technology.
My husband, Bruce, has announced that there is a very likely chance that
we will have CDs of these teleclasses available some day for sale to
those of you who couldn't attend.
And for those of you who have in the past purchased our by-now-famous
"blank CDs", we think we've solved that problem and will have words on
these CDs that you can actually hear. If you still own one of our lovely
silent CDs, just let us know and we will happily replace it with a
product that has sound on it. Not as soothing as the silence but people
tell us our CDs are more educational when you can hear something on
them. What a concept!
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Message from Rita
Many of you are helping children get ready to go
back to school, and I've received several requests for tips on how to
guide kids to break the procrastination habit. Here's a simple concept
that's easy to teach a child, and might be a helpful reminder for adults
to review also.
When children are overwhelmed, they experience the same feelings that
many adults (maybe even you?) have been through --- that sense of:
"There's so much to do, I don't know where to start." and "I have a
million things to do and I can't do everything"
When your children are overwhelmed, teach them the "secret" of breaking
down that overwhelming task into smaller parts, and then select one
piece and start there.
When you have so much to do,
You think you can't get through it;
Break it into little chunks,
Then pick out one and do it.
If children are swamped with homework and don't know where to start,
help them select just one subject. If it's spelling and they have to
learn their words plus write each word in a sentence, explain that they
have to select one of those two, and then start there.
Or perhaps the one thing they need to do it track down their text book,
or the notebook with the assignment in it, or maybe simply a pen and
some paper. When they start to look at homework as first one step, then
another, it stops being so overwhelming.
Explain to them the concept of "A journey of ten thousand miles begins
with but one single step." All they have to do is to figure out what
that first single step is. These are things you think they should know,
but most procrastinators don't.
Another example to give them: in cleaning a bedroom, perhaps start with
clothes. Put the clean ones away where they belong, and the dirty ones
in the laundry hamper. Next, put all the books away. It can be like a
game, where each time they think of a different way to break the job
into chunks. Maybe clean the dresser top first, then the bed, then the
floor, or maybe start with one corner of the room, then another.
This simple trick helps children figure out how to get started when they
are overwhelmed. And we all know that once we get started on something
we've been putting off, the hardest part is over.
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Please forward this to anyone you think might be
interested in receiving short, quick tips once a month to help master
the art of doing it now.
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Rita Emmett - Recovering Procrastinator
Author of The Procrastinator's Handbook:
Mastering the Art of Doing It Now
and
The Procrastinating Child:
A Handbook For Adults
To Help Children Stop Putting Things Off
and
The Clutter-Busting Handbook:
Clean it up, Clear it Up, And Keep Your Life Clutter Free
PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER: Keynotes & Seminars on
"Blast Away Procrastination"; also "Strategies to
Prevent Burnout" and "Generate Fabulous Customer Service"
Email: Rita@RitaEmmett.com
http://www.RitaEmmett.com
Phone: 847-699-9950
So much time, so little to do. Scratch that, reverse it!
--- Willie Wonka
